I frowned and glanced over my shoulder at her. “How do you know my name?”
She smiled, showing perfect, white teeth. “I’m glad we found you.”
“Do I know you?”
The man let go of her arm and his pale-eyed gaze locked with mine. “She’s very pretty. The perfect choice.”
“The perfect choice for what?” I didn’t move when he came closer. He was a few inches shorter than me and stocky. He raised his hand to my face, but stopped just before he touched me. His hand trembled.
“Can you feel it?” the man asked. He wasn’t speaking to me.
“I’m not sure,” the woman said. “You’re certain this is the one?”
“Yes, it’s her, I know it is. That we’ve found her first will gain us great favor when the time comes.”
She frowned. “It’s difficult knowing what’s real. The memories—they’re so distracting.”
“I know. It will be fine once you learn to control them. Just be strong.”
Her frown deepened. “And the crash, the car crash. I was distracted then too. Oh, Dad. I’m so sorry—”
“Please,” his voice hardened. “Concentrate. Remember why we’re here.”
She nodded. “Yes, of course. You’re right.”
Okay. They were starting to creep me out big-time and I tended to pay close attention to my instincts. “I have to go home now. It’s getting late.”
I turned away from them, but the man caught my wrist. For someone who looked so weak his grip was like iron. I tried to wrench away from him but he held firm.
“Let go of me.”
“It will be better if you don’t fight us,” he said.
“What are you talking about? What are you doing?”
My gaze snapped to the woman. I noticed with shock that she’d drawn a knife out of her purse and held it in her right hand.
“I’m sorry, but we need to do this, Olivia. Your death will mark a new beginning for the Upyri. She will be so pleased with you. With us.”
Cold fear washed over me.
If I’d turned around and seen two men following me I might have started running away immediately—and I could run fast. Helen was good at swimming, but my best sport was track.
These two had looked so harmless.
“What are you talking about?” I choked out as she drew closer. “What do you want from me?”
The knife glinted under the street lamp. “I want you to hold still.”
Not a chance. I summoned all my strength and tried to pull out of the grip the old man had on me, but he didn’t let go.
“You still think a knife is the best for this?” the man asked. He sounded uncertain. “You’ll damage her.”
The woman shook her head. “The wounds won’t matter. Besides, her blood will be rich with power.”
I tried to block the knife, but she cut me and I felt the sting and the warm spill of blood down my arm. The pain helped terror slam into me with full force. My scream echoed down the empty street.
The woman’s expression darkened. “The memories...I—I never would have done something like this before. It feels so wrong. It’s making me want to resist, but I can’t. Not now, not when we’re so close.”
I didn’t understand a word she was saying as she came at me with the knife again. I shrieked when she suddenly stumbled backward from me as someone physically yanked her in that direction. That someone now put himself between me and the woman.
With shock I realized it was Ethan Cole.
His fierce gaze moved between me and at the old man holding me in place. “Let go of her.”
“Or what, boy? This has nothing to do with you.”
“Behind you!” I yelled. The woman lunged with the knife at Ethan’s back.
He spun and caught her arm, squeezing hard enough that she yelped in pain. The weapon clattered to the sidewalk.
Her upper lip curled back from her teeth and the uncertainty that had filled her gaze left, replaced by rage. “You have no idea what you’re interrupting!”
“Walk away,” Ethan growled. “Leave her alone.”
“No.”
They both dove for the knife at the same time. She got to it first, holding it tightly in both hands and managed to slash his shoulder. He grunted in pain before grabbing her wrists and they rolled off the sidewalk onto the street. I desperately scanned our surroundings for someone, anyone. Someone else must have heard me scream. Someone had to come along to see this and help us.
But no one did.
The woman screamed, a high-pitched keening that made my blood run cold. Her eyes had gone very wide. The knife was in Ethan’s grip now, its blade coated in blood, dark under the moonlight. She touched her chest, over her heart.
Then, as if someone had poured gasoline on her and lit a match, a bright flash of fire lit up the dark street as it consumed her. Ablaze from head to toe, she tried to rise to her feet, but before I could fully register with horror what I was seeing, the flames extinguished.
The woman was gone. All that remained of her was a burn mark on the ground.
“I’ll kill you for this!” the old man yelled, finally letting go of me to run at Ethan.
He grabbed for Ethan’s throat, but Ethan dodged away just in time, and then arched the knife toward the man’s chest. There was another blood-curdling scream and another blaze of fire.
Another scorch mark dirtied the pavement.
Ethan and I now stood alone on the side of the street. The sudden and complete silence was deafening. Another car went by a few moments later, but didn’t slow down before it disappeared around the block.
Even though it was hot out tonight, I started shivering violently. I didn’t understand what I’d just seen—it made no sense. None at all.
“You killed them.” My voice shook.
Ethan’s gaze snapped to mine. “Killed who, Olivia? There’s no one here but the two of us.”
In the darkness the blood on the blade looked black and shiny. He stared at it for a moment before hauling back and throwing it up on a rooftop. I watched it go with a tight, sick feeling in my chest.
Then his gaze swept the length of me as if seeing me for the first time. “Why are you wet?”
I looked down at my damp clothes and twisted a finger into my hair. “I fell in a pool.”
“Come on.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me along with him down the street.
“Where are you taking me?” I had to jog to keep up with him.
“Home.”
“Your home?”
“No, yours.”
“You know where I live?”
His lips curved, but the smile didn’t hold a lot of humor. “I guess it’s news to you, but I’ve lived just down the street from you ever since elementary school. I know exactly where you live.”
I wasn’t sure why I didn’t know that he lived in my neighborhood. It seemed important. At that moment, it seemed vitally important.
“You saved my life,” I managed to say.
He didn’t reply to that.
We were only a couple streets away from where I lived, and where he lived, too, apparently. Ethan had never made much of an impression on me even though I’d known him at school for years.
“Were you following me?” I asked, remembering passing him earlier. “You were going in the opposite direction outside of Helen’s.”
“Then how could I have been following you?” He looked as if he was way overdue for a haircut. His long bangs hung in his eyes and he absently swiped them to the side every now and then. He didn’t bother to look at me, but I’d seen his eyes earlier to know they were hazel—brown tinged with green.
“You can let go of me now,” I said.
He didn’t let go of me.
“You’re hurting me,” I added.
His jaw tensed and he finally released me. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, I’m just—” I rubbed my arm where his fingers had bit into my skin. “What the hell was that back
there, Ethan?”
He snorted.
My eyes widened at his reaction. “Is something funny?”
“I wasn’t sure if you actually knew who I was.”
“I’ve known you since third grade. We used to be...friends. Sort of, right?”
“Yeah, for two weeks when I first moved here, then you started to ignore me when you realized I wasn’t as cool as some of the other kids.”
I didn’t remember, but that sounded kind of horrible if it were true. “You remember that?”
He cast a sidelong look at me. “Seems that way, doesn’t it?”
“That was ages ago.”
“You’re right. It was.”
I spotted my father’s familiar blue Volkswagen Jetta parked on the interlocking brick driveway. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so happy to be home, especially with the unwelcome presence of my mother inside. “Where exactly do you live?”
“Down the street.”
I bit my bottom lip. “We need to tell somebody that those people tried to kill me. They—I...I need to tell my father. The knife you used—”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Olivia.” He cocked his head to the side. “Nobody tried to kill you. And there was no knife. I was there, so I think I’d know.”
I glared at him. “I know what I saw with my own eyes.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Eyes can lie.”
“But you saved my life.” Conflicting emotions waged a battle inside me—gratitude, fear, confusion. “How did you know I needed help? Did you know they’d disappear like that? Who were they? Why did they want to kill me?”
My heart pounded so hard and fast it felt like it might explode right out of my chest. I wanted answers. I needed answers. Why was Ethan trying to pretend that nothing happened?
He glanced at the light in front of my house, his expression grim. Then he clamped his hand on my wrist and pulled me around to the side, just to the left of the front porch. He backed me up against the brick wall and took my face between his hands, his gaze intense and serious.
I didn’t think I’d ever really registered how long and dark his lashes were, the shape of his face, the slight dimple in his chin, his sharp cheekbones, and the curve of his lips.
He was taller than me by several inches and he leaned over a little so we were staring directly into each other’s eyes. I pressed my hands against his chest and felt the pounding of his heart.
“I need you to hear me, Olivia,” he said quietly. “Are you listening?”
I nodded.
“What happened before? It didn’t happen.”
“But, what—”
“No. It didn’t happen. You can’t tell anyone—not your father, not your friends—because they won’t believe you. They’ll think you’re crazy. You’re going to forget about it and go back to your normal life tomorrow.” He stroked a lock of my dark, wet hair off my cheek and tucked it behind my ear, his gaze never leaving mine for a second. His eyes weren’t greenish-brown like I’d thought. They were actually dark copper, with vivid flecks of emerald.
“Forget, Olivia,” he said again, as if his words held some sort of power over me.
“Are you trying to hypnotize me, or something? Because, uh, it’s not working very well.”
His eyes narrowed and he stared at me before shaking his head. “This shouldn’t have happened. Not like this.”
I didn’t get the chance to say anything else because he let go of me and walked away without another word.
Chapter 2
When my alarm clock went off Tuesday morning, my eyes opened wide and I was fully and completely awake as though I’d already chugged a dozen cups of coffee.
Was it only a dream? I clutched the bed sheets tightly and stared up at the shadows on my ceiling.
No, it had happened. I’d been attacked by an old man and a woman who knew my name. They’d wanted to kill me. And Ethan Cole had saved my life.
Ethan was right—no one would believe me if I told them what happened. I barely believed it myself. I hadn’t said anything to my father last night. He’d been overprotective of me my entire life, especially after the accident, and this would only worry him more. But there was no proof, no witnesses—or none who were willing to admit what really happened. Instead, I’d mumbled something about leaving Helen’s party early because I didn’t feel so good, and then locked myself in my bedroom for the rest of the night.
Ravenridge was known to be a very low crime town. A lot of people kept their front doors unlocked on a regular basis. Walking home alone after dark wasn’t something I’d ever given much thought to because nothing bad usually happened.
Usually.
That man and woman had disappeared. They caught fire when Ethan stabbed them with the knife and they were just...gone.
“Forget, Olivia,” Ethan had told me.
Yeah, right. That wasn’t going to happen.
In a blur, I showered and dressed and then went downstairs, headed toward the front door to go to school. I had to talk to Ethan again. The sooner the better.
“Liv, honey!” My mother’s voice froze me in place in the hallway outside the kitchen. “Come here a sec, will you?”
Oh crap. I hitched my heavy canvas backpack up on my shoulder and ventured to the archway leading into the bright yellow kitchen that smelled like bacon and eggs. “Yeah?”
“Good morning.” She sat at the kitchen table in her blue bathrobe, a bright and shiny smile on her face. She had long dark hair and green eyes like me and was thin and tall. Looking at her was like looking in a mirror to see what I’d look like in twenty-five years.
Her fingers, tipped in perfect French manicured nails, wrapped tightly around a large mug of coffee. Her knuckles appeared pale compared to the olive tone of her skin— a subtle hint she wasn’t as comfortable as she’d like to appear around me. But she sure was making a valiant effort.
“Morning,” I said without much enthusiasm.
“Time for a little breakfast, honey?”
“No, I have to get to school.”
“Do you need a ride?”
I shook my head. “I’ll walk.”
It wasn’t my first choice, given that I’d nearly died last night, but my attempted murderers were gone. And I wasn’t calling Peter to come pick me up either. I was still mad at him.
She let go of the mug and swiveled in her seat so she could cross her legs and lean forward a little. “We need to have a chat, honey. Soon and just the two of us.”
I shrugged. “We talk all the time.”
“You’ve been avoiding me and I’ve noticed.”
I hadn’t been all that subtle about it. She hadn’t wanted to be anywhere near me for twelve months, so I couldn’t very well be expected to want to hang out with her like I did when I was younger.
“I don’t want her back,” I’d told my father bluntly when she’d returned. “We don’t need her. We’ve been just fine without her!”
He’d given me this bleak look like he heard me, but he didn’t know what to say to make everything better again. “Give it time. I think you’ll change your mind, Liv.”
The jury was still out on that. All I knew was I didn’t get a vote when he’d agreed to let her move back home and that bothered me. This was my house, too.
“Honey,” my mother said. “Let’s go out for dinner and a movie this week, just the two of us. I’d like to know everything there is to know about my daughter again. Your friends, your dreams, your plans for the future. A couple hours is all I’m asking for.”
There was a pleading look in her eyes. At that moment, I knew could make that hurt puppy dog look go away just by saying yes.
“I’ll think about it.” I turned away from her. “I have to go now or I’ll be late for class.”
She didn’t say anything else to try to stop me from leaving. Part of me cringed at the thought of hurting her after she’d summoned up the courage to ask for some mother-daughter time.
Another part of me didn’t really care.
A movie and dinner weren’t going to fix what was broken between us. My thigh might have been crushed by a truck, but my heart was what got crushed when she left without a backward glance.
Bones were way easier to heal.
o0o
“Forgive me, Liv.”
The red rose appeared in front of my face as I opened my locker door. I glanced to my left to see that the bearer of the flower and the apology was Peter. After retrieving my book and binder for English class, I closed the door and faced him.
“You threw me in a pool when I was fully dressed,” I said.
And then I had to walk home and someone tried to kill me.
A shiver went down my spine. My walk to school—more of a jog, really—had been fine since I’d taken a populated route. Last night had been so surreal I’d almost convinced myself it had all been a dream.
He jutted his bottom lip out in a mock pout. “I know. I’m a dick.”
“At least you admit it.”
“I was just trying to have some fun. I didn’t mean to make you mad. Come on, Liv, say you forgive me and let’s forget it ever happened. Pretty please?” He tapped my chin with the flower and gave me a wicked grin.
I resisted the urge to smile back at him. Everyone knew how charming Peter could be when he turned it on. Helen said it was one of his most dangerous weapons. “Fine. You’re forgiven. Just...don’t do it again, okay? Ever? Or I might have to hurt you.”
He nodded. “I solemnly swear I’ll never throw you into another swimming pool.”
The bell for first class rang and Peter pulled me close so he could kiss me quickly on the lips. “Later, Liv.”
He handed me the flower before he took off down the hall. When I grabbed the stem the sharp thorn pierced my thumb deep enough to draw blood.
In a perfect world, presents from boyfriends wouldn’t be dangerous. Then again, maybe I should look first before blindly grabbing at pretty things.
My first lesson of the day and it was only nine o’clock.
o0o
I scanned the classroom for Ethan, but he hadn’t arrived yet. We had English together every day. We also shared World History at the end of the day. He sat in the same spot in both classes, the desk at the back of the room in the row closest to the door. It was the exact opposite from where I sat near the front by the window that looked out at the packed, gray cement parking lot.